Chapter 61 Begin of Libertus and Shocked Ange
The announcement continued, but abruptly, the floating panel vanished, replaced by a young girl's voice echoing throughout Arzenal island.
"This is Oliver from the command room. Prepare for battle. I repeat, prepare for battle. Humans have decided to attack us. Para-mail riders, assemble at the dock."
Confusion swept through the Norma girls. Rockets surged from the ships, hurtling towards Arzenal. Anti-air defenses sprang into action, unleashing a volley of counterattacks that lit up the sky with explosions.
"Team Alice, sortie!" a determined voice cried out as a girl swiftly donned her yellow Para-mail and launched from the dock, followed closely by a few others.
Meanwhile, chaos reigned as Norma girls scrambled to prepare for the imminent battle. In the command room, all eyes turned to the figure who burst in unceremoniously.
Emma staggered into the room, gasping for breath. "Why... why are you resisting? They were coming to rescue you all! How am I supposed to go back if you do this?!"
Just moments ago, Emma had rejoiced at the prospect of returning home. Now, faced with the command to fight back, her hopes were dashed, replaced by the harsh reality of impending danger. Though missiles rained down upon them, luck spared Arzenal from direct hits, for now.
"Haa... seriously..." Jill sighed, her expression grave as she looked at Emma.
"Do you really think that humans would rescue us? You know how humans view and treat Norma like us. And do you truly believe you'd be safe once you return?" Jill's words hung heavy in the air, causing Emma to falter.
Emma understood all too well how humans perceived Norma, including herself. Yet, she couldn't fathom that humans would stoop to wiping out Norma like this, especially when they still needed to fight dragons. She couldn't grasp why Jill would suggest she couldn't return.
"Want to go back? I can arrange it for you, but I doubt they would accept you back," Jill offered bluntly.
"Of course they would accept me. I'm human, after all," Emma retorted, her tone defensive.
"Fine, tell them yourself. I'll connect the phone," Jill said, moving to contact the enemy ship.
"Hello?" a man's voice crackled through the line.
"This is Emma Bronson. I'm human and still at Arzenal," Emma stated confidently.
"Yes? ... Wait a second, I will contact the emperor," the man said, surprised that Emma was human and still there.
After a few seconds, he replied back to Emma, "I'm sorry, Emma Bronson. The Emperor has given orders to kill everyone on the island. We will give honor for your death," the man said and cut off the connection.
Emma dropped down to the floor with disbelief. She couldn't help but think that this was a nightmare. What honor? It can't even be eaten. All her life, she has stayed with Norma as her duty, but in the end, she was abandoned just like this. After that, Jill also turned back to the battle report again.
At the same time, numerous Flying Multi-Use Discs made attempts to capture the para-mails and their riders. Typically, para-mail riders could easily triumph, but due to the sheer number of these Discs and the steel wires they released to ensnare the para-mails, many were seized and carried back to the ships.
"Save me!"
"Please, send reinforcements!"
Contrary to the anime, Arzenal boasted numerous para-mail riders capable of combat, yet they found themselves swiftly overwhelmed by the vast number of Multi-Use Discs. Then, in a sudden turn, a light blue para-mail streaked through with blistering speed, effortlessly annihilating the Discs.
It was Villkiss and Ange. Trailing behind them were Hilda and the remainder of their team: Salia, Rosalie, Chris, and Ersha. They immediately leaped into action, assisting other para-mail riders. The battle descended into chaos as the sky swarmed with Discs, and a significant contingent headed directly for the Arzenal island.
"W-what is that?" exclaimed one of the Norma girls in astonishment. Such a sight was unprecedented to them. The Discs paused momentarily near the dock where the para-mails sortie. Suddenly, small blades resembling teeth were released from both sides, whirring into motion like saws. Descending upon the dock, the Discs wrought destruction in their wake. Sparks erupted from the impacts, drawing the attention of the Norma girls who watched in disbelief.
Just as the Discs seemed poised to unleash devastation, a powerful gust of wind swept past the girls, slicing the Discs into pieces and causing them to erupt in explosions. Startled, the girls turned to behold Lucia clad in a YoRHa black coat, her silver-white hair tied neatly into a ponytail.
"Lucia-san!" Zhao Mei exclaimed, surprised. She was the leader of the para-mail maintenance group.
"You can keep working. I'll hold them off," Lucia said with a smile.
"Then... just now..." Zhao Mei stuttered, still amazed. Lucia nodded in response.
Zhao Mei never knew Lucia was so powerful. She didn't think humans could do what she just did. She wanted to ask questions but decided it wasn't the time; they were in the middle of a battle. Zhao Mei resumed giving orders and went back to work.
Lucia walked to the edge of the dock, watching as battleships approached. Smaller boats and aircraft were bringing soldiers to Arzenal. Anti-air defenses were firing at missiles, and para-mail riders were busy fighting off Discs.
Lucia didn't want Norma girls to suffer as they did in the anime. After all, those soldiers were going to kill even children, burning or shooting them down. Lucia used the Gate of Babylon, and thousands of golden ripples appeared across Arzenal. The view was majestic as many shining golden ripple gates appear.
Mana users and Norma girls alike gaped in disbelief at the extraordinary scene unfolding before them. Suddenly, a barrage of daggers erupted from the golden ripples. Though ordinary in appearance, these daggers gleamed with a golden hue, infused with the power of the Gate of Babylon. Piercing through metal boats, aircraft, and Discs alike as if they were mere paper, the golden daggers wrought destruction in their wake.
Explosions echoed across the sea, mingled with the desperate cries of soldiers. After a brief moment, the daggers vanished, only to be swiftly replaced by another volley as they were drawn back into the Gate of Babylon. The cycle repeated, unleashing devastation upon the approaching threats.
Yet, despite the onslaught, countless Discs continued their advance towards Arzenal from a distance. At the same time, Embryo was looking at that scene with wide eyes from his base, which was outside of space and time.
"What the hell is that?" Embryo said in shock. He had no idea what that was at all. That kind of power wasn't in his calculation. Originally, he was planning to rescue para-mail riders who were in a dire situation and took them under his wing. He was checking the abilities of para-mail riders, especially Ange, as she was the best para-mail rider and could use Villkiss, which was on the same level as Ragna-mail. Everything was under his control until he saw the golden ripple phenomenon.
It was an unknown power he had never seen before, even after living for over a thousand years, and his plans started to fall apart. His plans to act like a god or savior for para-mail riders were ruined. He gritted his teeth and looked at Lucia, who seemed to have caused the mess. He didn't know that Lucia had that kind of power.
Even though Embryo could see and move through the world as he pleased, and his abilities were godly, there were many limitations as well. He could use space and time abilities but couldn't use them to their fullest potential. For example, he could teleport around the world instantly, but he must know the place's exact location where he wanted to teleport. He could also use a healing-like ability, but it was a time ability that could rewind time when the wounds hadn't been taken yet.
Of course, this ability only worked for a few minutes before the injury occurred. He couldn't use time abilities to stop time or rewind time for a person as he wanted. In the original anime, he revived Norma little girls who were burned to death by mana user soldiers and made Ersha, one of Lucia's para-mail riders, his minion. He manipulated Julio into doing those cruel things, and then he saved the powerless para-mail rider Norma girls, acting as if he was their savior.
"I guess I have to change plans..." Embryo thought as he looked at Ange, who had just rushed at the main battleship where Julio was on board.
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"Tch. These things just keep coming," Ange muttered, eyeing the onslaught of Flying Disc Machines bearing down on her. Swiftly, she unleashed Villkiss's assault rifle gun, firing at the encroaching Discs while deftly evading those attempting to ensnare her para-mail. At times, she resorted to slashing at them with the sword clenched in Villkiss's other hand.
After some time passed, Ange noticed that she couldn't win like this and spotted the largest ship, which seemed to be the leader. Ange saw some para-mail riders being captured by Discs with wires that were released from them. While Ange didn't particularly have a good relationship with them, they hadn't harmed her unlike her mana user friends. From Ange's perspective, Norma were better than Mana users friends she used to have, as she had experienced almost dying at the hands of her own brother and sister.
Knowing that the world itself was manipulated by a certain villain called Embryo, and with her lover Lucia also wanting to kill Embryo, Ange decided she would help. She rushed toward the main ship, and Villkiss began to change its color into red as red mana covered the whole of Villkiss. Villkiss's speed increased multiple times from the change, and its sword began to coat with a red aura, just like a red laser sword.
Ange destroyed a few ships with the laser sword before heading to the main ship. Cutting through the control room from the side, she uncovered the figure at the helm: her brother, Julio, the one who had once tried to end her life. Julio sat stunned in his floating chair as Ange emerged from the pilot seat of Villkiss, assault rifle trained on him.
"Call off the attack now, if you don't want to die!" Ange's voice rang out, firm and commanding.
Still reeling from Ange's sudden appearance and the havoc she'd wreaked, Julio hesitated to respond. Ange, sensing his reluctance, fired a shot at his hand.
*Bang!*
"Argh!" Julio cried out, clutching his wounded hand as reality snapped back into focus.
"This is Holy Emperor Julio the First. All units, cease fire and retreat!" Julio's voice boomed through the intercom.
"Now, it's done," Julio announced, a note of resignation in his voice.
Ange settled back into Villkiss's pilot seat, taking control once more. Julio breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief was short-lived as Villkiss raised its sword, poised to strike him down.
"W-wait! We had a deal! Please, spare me, I'll do anything!" Julio pleaded, backing away in fear.
Desperate, Julio begged Ange, offering to reinstate her as a princess and promising to fulfill any request she made.
"You're not even worth the air you're breathing. Die and rot, you maggot!" Villkiss's sword arced downward, poised to strike the battleship and Julio. But before it could connect, a para-mail intercepted its path.
Ange was taken aback by the unexpected intervention and noticed the para-mail's unique design. Perched upon its shoulder was a blonde man clad in a dark green western suit – Embryo and his Ragna-mail.
"E-Embryo-sama!" Julio exclaimed with joy at the sight of Embryo.
Ignoring Julio's pleas, Embryo's gaze remained fixed on Ange, his expression gentle despite the chaos surrounding them.
"Embryo?" Ange muttered to herself.
"Ange, you are absolutely radiant," Embryo spoke in a poetic manner. "You are like a burning flame rising up against injustice…"
"This perverted old man has no shame," Ange remarked bluntly, though it seemed Embryo didn't hear her as he continued to speak.
"As a noble flame, you need not dirty your hands. Allow me to bear the burden of your sins," Embryo continued, his words laced with flirtation.
Before Ange could respond, Embryo's Ragna-mail ascended into the air, and he began to sing the 'Endless Song', also known as 'Eternal Song' or 'Hikari no Uta'.
"A billion flames of life fall through and become…" Embryo's song echoed, accompanied by a transformation of the attachments behind his Ragna-mail. The wing-like structures unfurled, revealing circular seals – space-time cannons affixed to the Ragna-mail.
Soon, cyclone-like waves were released from the space-time cannons and combined into one big cyclone. The cyclone had dark purple and red colors along with many lightning bolts and winds swirling within it. It slammed into the battleship along with Julio, and a magnetic field, shaped like a large ball, was formed, destroying the whole area. Julio was killed, shocked to be killed by his own leader. The place where the space-time cannon hit became a giant hole, with water flowing into it.
"T-this is…" Ange was shocked at the power the Ragna-mail had displayed. She remembered Lucia telling her about this before, but she never thought it would be this powerful and deadly. Ange turned to look at Embryo, who was smiling as if he had won her over. After all, he was a narcissist.
"Hmm?" Embryo turned his head as he looked at the Singularity, a portal to the true world, which had opened.
From the portal, many dragons started to appear, along with many larger dragons. Due to the shocking impact of the space-time cannon and the destruction of the leader battleship, the raging battle was stopped, and the captured para-mails and riders were able to escape again. All of them witnessed another shocking sight: dragons.
Today, many shocking things continued to happen. First, the freeing of the Norma from their trap, then the battle with mana users, followed by golden ripples and the space-time cannon, and now dragons. Moreover, it wasn't just one large dragon, but way too many large dragons. The Norma girls were frightened by this, but then they saw three para-mails alongside the dragons.
"Roar!" The dragons began to roar, their voices spreading thoroughly across the sea.
"This is Commander Jill…" Jill began to explain over the radio to the Norma girls that the dragons were no longer their enemies but allies now, and they were also helping them with Libertus. Most of the girls already knew about the plans, but a few who didn't were confused.
Embryo looked at the dragons, quite surprised to see three para-mails that were quite close to a Ragna-mail among them.
"Hmm… interesting…" Embryo said, as if he weren't worried much. He believed he could kill all of them if he wanted to.
"I thought you would escape right away," Embryo heard a girl's voice and turned to look at the owner.
The voice owner was standing on Villkiss's shoulder, and she was someone Embryo had seen before. It was Lucia, who had cursed at him the last time they met.
"You… who are you?" Embryo asked, genuinely surprised now.
The only one who could teleport like this was him, but here was an individual who could do it too. He became alert, but then he calmed down again, as it was just a girl. Embryo was someone who could manipulate the nerves of humans and make women love him, so he didn't worry much. He even thought it would be great if he could have Lucia.
Lucia felt disgust at Embryo's smiling face and started to use 'Abyssal Slash'. Light blue and dark grey particles flowed into the Sakura katana, and the katana became brighter, turning red within the sheath. As soon as Lucia released the katana and performed a quick draw, multiple cuts were applied to the Ragna-mail and Embryo, who was standing on the Ragna-mail's shoulder.
"Arrggg!" Embryo shouted in pain as he was being cut into pieces.
This wasn't Embryo's original body but a clone, so he wasn't overly concerned about Lucia's attempt to kill him; after all, he wasn't truly dead. The Ragna-mail sustained significant damage and would have been destroyed if not promptly repaired. Fortunately for Embryo, this Ragna-mail was a copy intended for one of the para-mail riders, not his original.
Lucia, too, was surprised by the Ragna-mail's resilience against her 'Abyssal Slash' skill. Even though she hadn't fully unleashed its power, it should have obliterated ordinary metals. She speculated that the mecha must have exceptional resistance. Initially, Embryo had hoped to take Ange with him, but his plans were thwarted once again, thanks to Lucia's strength in damaging the Ragna-mail. Thus, he decided to retreat and devise a new strategy.
While Embryo could have easily kidnapped Ange using teleportation, he deemed it inelegant and preferred to avoid such crude methods. He enjoyed the challenge of intricate planning, finding swift victories dull after living for over a thousand years and always getting what he wanted too quickly.
As the damaged Ragna-mail and Embryo's clone vanished without a trace, only a few battleships from the mana users, para-mails, and dragons remained. The mana users surrendered, but Lucia opted to eliminate them all, wary of their potential for betrayal.
After the cleanup, the dragons and para-mails made their way back to Arzenal. Despite their newfound alliance, the Norma girls couldn't shake their fear of the dragons, especially considering their sheer numbers. However, they refrained from voicing their concerns, knowing their commander had been instructed not to worry about it. The para-mails returned to the dock, while the dragons landed on the grassy surface of Arzenal.
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On the top of Arzenal, where a grassy land with graves and a few buildings stood, many dragons and Norma girls faced each other on opposite sides. At the front of the dragons stood three para-mails, with Lucia, Jill, and Ange in front of them, while the rest of the Norma girls stood behind the trio.
Suddenly, the pilot's seat of the middle red-colored para-mail opened, and a beautiful girl with black hair appeared, smiling. She was Salamandinay. She jumped down as large bat wings appeared behind her and landed on the ground. Two more young girls also disembarked from the remaining para-mails and landed on the ground.
"Lucia! I missed you!" Salamandinay shouted with a smile, rushing towards Lucia.
Lucia hugged Salamandinay back with a smile, but this was shocking for the rest of the Norma. They never thought that Lucia knew dragons. Norma girls had been told that dragons were also humans when they returned to Arzenal earlier, but Jill hadn't explained the full story yet.
However, the most shocked person was Ange. Ange was stunned as she looked at Salamandinay.
"Yes, I missed you too, Saly," Lucia said with a smile.
Salamandinay beamed upon hearing the nickname Lucia bestowed upon her, leaning in to plant a light kiss on Lucia's lips before enveloping her in a tight embrace. Ange's expression twisted in shock as she witnessed the unexpected display of affection. However, the true surprise came when Salamandinay released Lucia and turned her attention to Ange.
"Is she my new sister?" Salamandinay inquired, glancing at Lucia for confirmation, to which Lucia nodded in affirmation.
"Nice to meet you, sister! I'm Salamandinay, one of Lucia-sama's wives!" Salamandinay greeted Ange with a warm smile.
"New sister? One of the wives?" Ange's mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions, rendering her speechless.
"See? I told you she'd be taken aback," remarked a blue-haired girl.
Gradually, more beautiful girls emerged one by one. Among them were Esdeath, Saeko, Shizuka, and Yuriko, while others remained in the Dragon city. Lucia turned to her wives with a gentle smile, embracing each one and bestowing a light kiss on their cheeks.
"Well, I'm not sure how to broach this with her…" Lucia admitted, feeling uncertain.
"Moo... Lu-chan... It's not fair to keep her in the dark about it," Shizuka chided gently.
"I'm sorry, Shizuka…" Lucia apologized.
"Don't worry, we'll handle it!" Shizuka reassured her.
Meanwhile, Yuriko had approached Ange and began conversing with her. Ange, still in shock, didn't know how to respond. Despite learning about Lucia's multiple wives, she didn't seem to hold any ill will toward Lucia. Instead, she simply felt bewildered by the situation.
Shortly after, they returned to the Arzenal base. Jill assigned rooms to the guests and dismissed the Norma girls. Lucia, Salamandinay, and Jill convened in the office to discuss the rescue of Aura and their strategy against Embryo. Meanwhile, Yuriko and Shizuka took the opportunity to explain Lucia's family situation or more like her harem to Ange.
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